Lent, 2024 - Pt. 1

 

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. (Matthew 4:1-2 ESV).

 

Lent, 2024, begins with Ash Wednesday, February 14^th. For many believers the observance of Lent is a bit foreign. However, when I was growing up, I was a member of a church that was very involved during this season. It began with a formal service on Ash Wednesday and the receiving of a black ash cross marked on my forehead. These ashes were created from the burning of last year’s Palm Sunday branches. Being an “altar boy” I was very involved in these services, even to the point of memorizing all the Latin responses necessary since the Roman Catholic Mass was observed predominantly in that language. I am aware this is not in most of my reader’s experience. So, I thought it might be both informational and inspirational to do some background and devotional writing in this topic.

 

Lent is the season of the Christian liturgical calendar beginning on Ash Wednesday and leading up to Easter. Lent lasts approximately 6 weeks. The season is 40 days long, but it's celebrated over 46 days. This is because each Sunday of Lent is considered a “mini Easter” and is not counted as part of the 40 day Lenten observance. Many people think of Lent as a particularly Roman Catholic practice, but Christians have observed the tradition of Lent since the early days of Christianity. Writings about the observance of Lent date back to the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE. And today, many Christian traditions and denominations – including, but not limited to the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodist, and some Reformed traditions – regularly celebrate Lent. And recently, the practice has been growing among other evangelical traditions.

 

So, what’s it all about? Well, Lent is meant to be a time of spiritual preparation. The purpose of the 40-day length is to recall and parallel the 40 days of temptation that Jesus endured in preparation for his public ministry (cf. Matthew 4:1-2). Just as Jesus spent 40 days in the desert while spiritually preparing for his ministry, so too Christians are to spend Lent spiritually preparing for Easter. During this time, Christians are meant to focus on spiritual self-examination, renewal, and growth. In many traditions, Lent is a time of fasting and abstinence. This is where the common "I'm giving up meat or chocolate for Lent" idea comes from. But, in addition to self-denial, Lent is also a time of active practices like almsgiving and acts of mercy, forgiveness, repentance and prayer. These practices of denial and action are meant to work in unison to prepare the heart to experience anew the power of Christ's suffering, death, and ultimately, resurrection during Holy week. As we continue in the future, I hope you will be encouraging to a deeper, more meaningful relationship with Jesus!